


Come Back

by LancePuns



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Meeting Dad, Meeting the Parents, Party, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Well - Freeform, first attempt at angst?, mom's still dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:21:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27047881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LancePuns/pseuds/LancePuns
Summary: PERSONA 5 ROYAL 3RD SEMESTER SPOILERS!!! BE WARNED!!!Akechi is right. They need to take down Maruki, and they need to work together. Ren knows this. But he's not about to leave his friends trapped in a fake reality that removes all the development they've had as people. And the first one he needed to snap out of everything was his Queen.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto, Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 1
Kudos: 60
Collections: ShuMako Mini Bang





	Come Back

**Author's Note:**

> This piece is my contribution to the ShuMako minibang! I had the pleasure of working with Ace4_2 on twitter! They made a wonderful piece of art for this story, and I highly recommend you follow them! 
> 
> Links to both their twitter and my own will be at the end.
> 
> Once again, spoilers for Persona 5 Royal's third semester! If you wish to remain unspoiled, please click off this page! Final warning!
> 
> With that out of the way, enjoy~!

For Ren, ever since New Years Day, everything has felt wrong.

Where could he begin? Probably the moment he woke up and couldn’t find his friend and animal companion Morgana anywhere. Eventually, he decided Morgana must’ve just gone to see Futaba and wake her up. After taking a call from Yoshizawa, Sojiro asked for some help in the shop, where he found who he would later find out to be Morgana in a human form. Then, Futaba came in talking about the kimono she and her mom - you know, the one that she watched...pass away 2 years ago - picked out. Ren had figured she meant they had picked it out before the incident and it still fits her, so he continued on with his plans to see Yoshizawa at the shrine. 

Things from there proceeded somewhat normally, though the lack of a crowd at the shrine definitely didn’t feel normal. Ren and Yoshizawa had found the other thieves, Mona excluded, at the shrine, and all of them said some weird things. First, Makoto said she was to be with her family later, which seemed at least a little off. Second, Haru said she would be having a meal with her father, which definitely felt wrong. Next, Futaba said she would be shopping with her mom later, which sounded insane. Then, Ryuji mentioned hanging out with the track team, which made Ren wonder what he was saying. After that, Ann mentioned talking to Shiho about doing something, which was probably the least weird thing in this ordeal. They all left to go on their own errands, leaving Ren and Yoshizawa to meet with the latter’s father, but not before him saying something that seemed like it was distorted by the Matrix.

Then Ren met a very much alive Wakaba and Akechi was out of jail and everything just began to make less and less sense, especially when Yoshizawa had contacted him about a palace in the real world. Next thing he knew, Yoshizawa’s real name was Sumire and she had been pretending to be her deceased twin sister, Kasumi.

Once they escaped, Akechi gave Ren a week to prepare for infiltration. And Ren was determined to snap his friends out of it. To awaken them from Maruki’s reality. Thankfully, Morgana told him where he could find one of the thieves today.

Unfortunately, it was the one that hurt the most.

* * *

“Ah, Ren! What a coincidence.”

Ren found Makoto with her sister in Shibuya Station. Before approaching them, Ren saw their faces. Genuine smiles, like they had no worries in the world at all. Body language that said they were much, much closer in this reality than the last. He wondered what this reality could’ve given Makoto to make her so happy.

“Mako-ch-” Ren started before he glanced at Sae. How would she have reacted if she heard him address her so intimately? They hadn’t told Sae they were together in the real reality, and Ren really didn’t want to find out what her reaction would be in this reality, either. His eyes went back to Makoto as he began, “Hey, Makoto, Sae. How are you two?” his voice staying in its usual level tone, something he didn’t think he’d be able to do. Perhaps his determination and will were stronger than even he knew.

If Ren had displayed any surprise at himself on his face, neither Niijima seemed to have noticed. Makoto gestured to her bag with a smile and what could only be described as a giggle. “We were just doing a bit of shopping,” she said with another giggle, though this one was more energetic than the last. She smiled brighter and continued, “But soon, we’re going to celebrate our dad receiving the superintendent general award.”

In that one moment, everything clicked into place. Makoto talking about her family on New Years, her generally more peppy nature, and her seemingly strainless relationship with her sister. Her father was alive in this reality, which meant Sae didn’t have to grow up so fast and start to see Makoto as a burden and, on top of that, her father got to see her grow up into a brilliant young woman she is today.

Once he was finished processing this reality that Makoto wanted, Ren was able to continue the conversation. Scratching just above his eye and lowering his hand back into his pocket, he responded “That’s unbelievable,” as he stared at Makoto, hoping such a statement would pull her out of this fake reality.

Of course, he didn’t count on Sae lightly chided her younger sister. “Come on, Makoto, you don’t need to raise your voice over it. Remember dad telling you earlier to just act like it's no big deal?” While Sae was telling Makoto off, it seemed much gentler than in the past. If Sae’s usual critique was a punch to the face, her words now seemed much more reminiscent of a steady hand on the shoulder. After being in that interrogation room with her a month and a half ago, it felt wrong.

But what didn’t feel wrong anymore?

Ren was brought out of his thoughts as Makoto spoke in what sounded like the same sort of panic she’d enter whenever he was teasing her, but instead of saying her pet name for him, she said “Sis!” with slightly pink cheeks. “I didn’t pester him! He asked me what I wanted to eat for my birthday!” 

Despite her embarrassed face, Makoto and Sae genuinely seem like they were on much better terms than they had been in reality. They’d greatly improved since Sae’s change of heart, but according to Makoto, Sae still didn’t tease her. They simply were more open and honest with one another. This was on another level. They felt like real siblings. Like how he and Futaba acted whenever he would stay home for the day.

Once again, Ren’s thoughts were interrupted by Makoto’s voice, but this time, it was directed towards him. “Now that I think about it, what brings you out here? We don’t mean to keep you from any business you might have.”

Ren shook his head gently as he responded, trying to uphold his composure. “Actually, I came to talk to you.”

Makoto’s face showed a vague surprise, though it seemed pleasant rather than shy. “Oh, really? That’s good, I had actually hoped to ask you if you wanted to join us tonight for dinner.”

She smiled as she adjusted the bag on her shoulder, a gesture he recognized as her trying to ease her anxiousness. “Sis trusts you, and dad said he wanted to meet my boyfriend, so I suggested inviting you to the celebration dinner tonight.”

Ren’s blood ran cold in that moment as he began to panic. Did Makoto really just let slip that they were dating? In front of her sister, no less? Before he could fully process Makoto’s words, he heard Sae add “She insisted on it. Dad likes what he’s heard about you, so it didn’t take long for him to agree.” Makoto nudged her and argued against what Sae was proposing, but Ren was more focused on other details. You know, the big ones that he was now presented with.

A) Sae knew they were dating, or at least that they were much closer than teammates. B) Despite the fact that Sae knew that, Makoto didn’t call him Renren like she usually would. C) Mr. Niijima wanted to meet him. For a moment, Ren could hardly figure out what he should be feeling. 

Terror that Sae knew he was dating her Makoto? 

Happiness that she didn’t mind him dating her younger sister? 

Anxiousness that Mr. Niijima wanted to meet him?

He settled for his usual; a nonchalant composure that he doesn’t know how he was capable of keeping. “I’ll let Sojiro know I won’t be home for dinner tonight when I get back.” 

Before he could start typing the message out, he was enveloped in a hug from his girlfriend, who had tucked her head beneath his chin as her arms wrapped beneath his. “You’ll love dad, I know it!” Joker slowly placed his arms around Makoto and took this moment in. He wanted to feel as happy as she sounded. He wanted to let her stay happy.

But as Akechi said, she’d be living in the palm of Maruki’s hand. And that’s not the freedom they fought Yaldabaoth for.

* * *

Ren adjusted the cuff of his trench coat, staring at the door with the address Makoto had texted him. He clammed up earlier that day, scared of hurting Makoto, of taking her happiness away from her selfishly. But his mind kept floating back to what Akechi had said, and about what the Phantom Thieves stood for. By hiding the truth, they’d be no better than those who looked the other way when Kamoshida committed his sins of lust. And the thought of sharing any choices with that scumbag made him sick. He had to do this, regardless of what it would do to their relationship.

Of course, it didn’t help that now, Ren was about to meet what Makoto’s vision of her father was. How accurate it was to who Mr. Niijima really would’ve been, he had no clue. All he could do was knock on the door and steel his rebellious resolve.

Taking a deep breath, Ren put his knuckles on the door and tapped on it a few times and waited for what felt like an hour, but in reality, he confirmed by glancing at his watch, was only a handful of seconds. The door opened and he saw brown hair and red eyes that he’d come to expect from Makoto, but the person he was looking at was a fair bit taller than his girlfriend, and a bit bigger around the belt as well. On this person’s face, there were a few wrinkles here and there, and now that Ren was noticing that this was not Makoto, he realized there were a handful of grey hairs visible in the hair belonging to the man that was without a doubt Mr. Niijima.

“State your name and business.” He said, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly, and Ren could feel the nerves he worked so hard to fight to seep back into his mind. But he managed to compose his exterior and extended his hand between the two of them.

“Ren Amamiya. Your daughters invited me to dinner for this evening.” He spoke confidently but politely, believing this was the best course of action for dealing with the father he’s heard stories (legends, really) about.

However, while Ren expected something stern, along the lines of _“Any funny business and you’ll be kicked out”_ , what he got was nothing of the sort. In fact, Mr. Niijima chuckled warmly - one that reminded him of Sojiro’s chuckle whenever Futaba and himself were messing around in the cafe after closing time - and pulled Ren in for a hug. “I’m just messing with you, kid. My name is Masayoshi Niijima, it’s great to finally meet you. Feel free to make yourself at home. The food’s almost ready, Makoto’s in her room if you could get her for us.” With that, Masayoshi walked back into the kitchen, leaving Ren at the open door.

Not wanting to stay outside in the cold or dwell on the name her father shared with a certain politician, Ren walked in and shut the door gently behind him. He looked around, not exactly sure where to head to see Makoto, nor where to put his coat. It must’ve been obvious because he could hear Sae in the kitchen say “You can put your coat on the extra chair at the table. Makoto’s room is down the hall, first door on your left.” Ren couldn’t tell what she was doing from the angle he stood at, but he nodded with a quick “Thank you,” and followed those directions, putting his coat on the chair that seemed to be unclaimed and heading down the hall past the living room.

Ren could pretty easily tell which room was Makoto’s, for a few reasons. Firstly, of the four rooms he saw, one of them was the restroom, leaving three of them as bedrooms. The only one with an open door pretty clearly had Buchimaru-kun merchandise on the desk, and the room, in general, was tidy and organized. While he couldn’t see or hear Makoto in the room, he was pretty sure Mr. Niijima and Sae wouldn’t have anything like that in their own rooms, at least not in the open.

Ren knocked on the door a couple of times gently, mustering the best mask he could to hide his discomfort of the situation for the time being. “Mako? Are you in here?”

Her voice came from inside just around the frame, which blocked his view of the rest of her room. “Oh, Ren! Come in.” He could hear her move off the bed as he took a step into the room, looking around. The room was very much exactly what he would have imagined Makoto’s room being. Tidy. Clean. Organized. A fair amount of Buchimaru merchandise. It was all distinctly Makoto. But something he couldn’t quite place was off.

Ren saw her standing up next to her bed, a closed magazine in her right hand. He wondered what that magazine could’ve been as she walked over to him and wrapped him in a hug, one that he returned.

Ren always thought himself a convincing actor, especially after awakening to his persona and becoming Joker. He had seemingly managed to trick the officers that came to Shujin in October by acting somewhat scared. He convinced Ohya’s boss for at least a few minutes that she was dating him, despite the fact that he was obviously a high schooler. He even managed to trick that one yakuza member to get information for Iwai. And, of course, he managed to be Makoto’s fake boyfriend to help Makoto investigate Eiko’s venture’s into Shinjuku.

But acting to fool Makoto was a different story. He’d never done that before, not successfully. She knew from the start that he was a Phantom Thief, she’s been dating him since the summer, and she knew immediately after he got back from the interrogation that he was not okay despite his act.

So maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised that she caught his slight hesitation when he went to hug back and pulled back slowly, looking him in the eye, her piercing crimson eyes that could make even the most hardened criminals flinch, with worry and concern that he was hiding something. Why did she have to be so perceptive all the time?

“What’s wrong?” she asked. _This reality_ , he wanted to answer. Because that was the truth. Not that he didn’t want her happy, but he wanted her happy of her own volition and work. Maruki changed the course of her entire life, taking away who she was, who she became, all her hard work.

But he couldn’t tell her yet. He needed to get through dinner.

He did his best to smile and brought his hand up to rub her cheek, looking her in the eye back. “I’ll tell you later. Dinner’s almost ready, your family is waiting for us,” he said, and before she could object, he took her hand and began to walk out the door toward the dining room. Makoto’s eyes widened a little with a hint of pink in her cheeks, her surprise and embarrassment probably causing her to clam up before she could question him.

When the two had gotten to the dining room, Masayoshi and Sae had set the sukiyaki dishes in front of each seat with a glass of water placed next to the dish. Sae had been walking over from the kitchen with four pairs of chopsticks in hand, with Masayoshi seated already. Makoto, after taking a moment to regain her composure, took one whiff of the food, and smiled. Walking ahead of Ren, she said “The food smells good, sis!” as she sat across from her father. Sae sat next to him, and Ren decided not to make everyone wait on him as he sat down next to Makoto. 

Once everyone was seated, they clapped their hands together and simultaneously spoke, “Thank you for the food,” before taking their chopsticks and eating a few bites. Ren had to think that it tasted as good as it smelled, and briefly wondered if her father would have liked his own cooking if he were really alive in reality.

Ren went to start a conversation once everyone had taken a few bites, but Masayoshi beat him to the punch, asking “So, Ren, tell me about yourself.” His eyes and smile were warm and kind like he’d accept whatever his daughter’s boyfriend would say. Ren wondered if that extended to being the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

Ren started, “I’m a second year at Shujin Academy and I’m living in Yongen-Jaya for the school year,” but Masayoshi nodded with understanding, more so than he’d expected. It was like he knew…

“That’s right, you’re on probation. I’m glad you’re making the best of the situation.” Masayoshi said, glancing at Makoto for a moment with a bright smile. “I’ve heard your extracurriculars were more exciting than most students usually.”

Ren blinked as he looked at Makoto, who shrugged with a sheepish smile. Ren looked back at Masayoshi and rubbed the back of his neck. “I wasn’t aware you knew. So...you’re okay with it?”

Masayoshi chuckled heartily. “Of course. I know a lot of my coworkers are not, but that’s only because they are in the force for the wrong reasons. I’m sure you, Makoto, and the rest of your team have done more good in taking down criminals than most police will in their lifetimes.”

Ren was genuinely happy to hear that her father was approving of their actions. He soon remembered, however, that Makoto believed that her father truly would have believed the Phantom Thieves to be just. With this in mind, could he really say for sure whether this was Masayoshi liking the Phantom Thieves or Makoto _believing_ that Masayoshi would like the Phantom Thieves? Regardless, Ren kept the act up and continued to smile as the conversation resumed, the four of them sharing stories of fun happenings.

Ren let himself pretend the illusions of this reality were happening like he was watching an interactive movie. Or playing a video game. He didn’t care, the point was, he enjoyed the time that was passing during dinner as Masayoshi chuckled warmly as he gently teased Makoto and Sae and even Ren occasionally. It felt... _real_. And that feeling that bubbled up in the back of his head, the whisper of Maruki’s power telling him “you could be happy, too” that was only barely being shot down by Satanael in the back of his mind...

It was once dinner was wrapped up and Masayoshi picked up the dishes that Ren knew he had to act soon. “Makoto, I’ll take care of the dishes tonight.” Makoto opened her mouth to object, but Masayoshi put a hand up as he took her dishes. “No no, you have a guest. You have to take care of him.” Makoto looked surprised but smiled before looking at Ren and taking his hand. He could see how much the smile reached her eyes. Eyes that he isn’t sure he’s seen this happy before. He bit the inside of his lip.

Damn it.

What if Makoto hates him for breaking her cognition of reality? For returning her to a reality where her father is missing and Sae had been distant until only recently?

In the span of a few seconds as Makoto is leading him to the couch, he decides he can’t stay here, otherwise, he’ll only end up abandoning his mission of bringing her back. He pulls out his phone, the screen out of view from his girlfriend, and frowns. “Sojiro is asking me to come back. Apparently, there are more customers than usual tonight,” he lies. He knows it's not going to work, but Makoto will let him go if he’s smart about this.

And indeed, Makoto does see right through him and can tell that whatever she saw that was bothering him before dinner was still there. He doesn’t know what she’s thinking, but he does know that she nods and looks him in the eyes with her classic intensity. An intensity that told Ren _‘you are going to tell me exactly what is going on later’_ , and he will. But only after she breaks out of this reality.

Ren begins to open the apartment door, and evidently, Masayoshi and Sae are having a wonderful discussion because neither of them seem to have noticed what was going on. Makoto stands in the doorway, still holding his hand as he takes a few steps out and turns to face her.

Now comes the hard part.

“Makoto, are you...enjoying the family time?” Ren asks, now unable to keep in his unnerved and saddened expression.

Makoto blinks at him in confusion. “Well, of course...what does this have to do with-”

Ren cut her off before she could finish. “You and Sae are getting along well now.” He rubbed the back of his neck for a moment with his free hand before moving it to push up his glasses. He could see his hand trembling. He quickly shoved his hand back in his pocket to hide his own nervousness. Trying to break her reality hurt. Taking away her _happiness_ hurt.

“We always have, you should know that. She’s done so much for…” She began, but she paused, glancing back inside and thinking to herself. Ren couldn’t read her mind, but he wondered if she was starting to see it. “Something doesn’t seem right…” Makoto mumbled to herself, squeezing Ren’s hand gently asking for support. He complies with a squeeze back, telling her _‘I’m here’_ as she thinks. She continues mumbling. “Mom died...Dad raised us alone...and Sis…”

Ren finds himself unintentionally whispering, “You’re so close, Mako…” as he watches her ponder what she just said. He hears her mutter something about a car accident and a casino. Thinking back to everything he knows about her family...is she replaying her life in her head right now? However, she seems to break out of whatever train of thought she was in as she looks at him in confusion and disbelief.

“Ren, what do you mean? I don’t-'' and then her eyes open quickly, and she takes her free hand to her head. “Wait, what was that…? I just…” He could feel her hand tremble, see her eyes begin to shine with tears, see her lips quiver in fear. She looks up at Ren, confused and desperate, as if he had all the answers in the world. Maybe he did. But while she was still under Maruki’s thumb, living in his reality, he wasn’t sure he could bear to continue breaking the lie she was living.

All Ren could do was squeeze her hand one last time, meeting her forehead with his own as he closed his eyes and felt his own eyes begin to water. He whispers, not even sure if he spoke it out loud or if his vocal cords had failed, “I love you, Mako. Please come back.” 

And that was all he could do. Or, at least, all he could bear to do. He lifts his head and turns his back, and he feels no resistance when he slips his hand out of hers when he walks down the hallway to leave the apartment building. He doesn’t look back, because he knows if he did, he would’ve seen how hurt she was. But she was strong, and she could break free on her own now. Ren had done everything he could at this point.

He hoped he did, at least.

* * *

“Sorry for calling you over so suddenly,” Makoto said sincerely through a smile that Ren was positive was not reaching her eyes. Ren had sat down on his girlfriend’s bed after she sat down herself. She looked down at her lap, her fingers tangled with one another as she continued, “There’s something I just had to tell you.”

After nearly dying against Sumire’s berserk persona, the rest of the Phantom Thieves appeared, seemingly broken out of the reality Maruki created. They freed Sumire from Maruki's control and fled the palace, regrouping in Leblanc. A couple of days later, they started the infiltration process once again but hit a roadblock halfway through it. This forced them to retreat for the time being, which in turn gave Ren time to check in on the other Phantom Thieves now that they had woken up from the reality that Maruki created. 

Ren didn’t wait long to check in on Makoto, and it turned out she wanted to talk to him as well. He wasn’t expecting her to invite him into her apartment, figuring they’d speak in LeBlanc, but Ren thought she may be more comfortable speaking about whatever was troubling her if she were somewhere she was intimately familiar with. 

But their location didn’t matter to him. He just wanted to make sure Makoto was okay, or that she would be.

He gently put his hand on hers, grasping it. She didn’t pull away.

“What did you want to talk about?” he asked.

“Honestly, I wanted to apologize,” she began, her mouth curving down into a frown as she finally took Ren’s hand with one of hers, squeezing it gently. “I couldn’t back you up when you needed me the most…”

Ren moved his other hand to take hers, shaking his head gently as he spoke, “That’s not true, Mako-chan…”

But Makoto turned to face him with distress and frustration, but he could tell they weren’t towards himself. “But it _is_ true, Ren.” She got up and began pacing, putting her hands to her temples. Her words began to come faster, and slightly louder. “Ever since the new year, I was stuck in Dr. Maruki’s false reality, living with father and sis like nothing else mattered.” She turned to face him again, and the look in her eyes, the fury, the pain, the frustration, all of it accumulating into her eyes and fists, the latter of which are now balled at her sides. “Remember that time before I joined the Phantom Thieves, when I called you into the student council room?” Ren didn’t have much time to nod in response before she continued, “I challenged you on your ideals, threatened to expose you all.” A pause as she reached the climax of her rant, her voice going quiet as she finished, “...as if I knew what was going on.” At the climax of her rant, Makoto was quite loud, but she took a deep breath, her fists unclenched, and sat down in her desk chair, leaning back and trying to relax. 

When Makoto finally continued, she was quiet, her tone was melancholy as she stared up at the ceiling in dismay. “Since then, I’ve learned so much from the Phantom Thieves.” She tilted her head down to look at Ren, and she felt so far away. “From you.” She sat up and sighed as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear before letting her hands settle back in her lap. “You’ve saved me, Ren. More times than I can possibly count.” Ren could hear her sniffle as she wiped her face with the inside of her elbow, and she felt even further away. “After all that, I’d promised myself that if you were ever in trouble, I would leap in to save you. But I forgot that vow. I just...” she paused, biting her lip as she shook her head. “I just threw it away so I could cling to father and sis. How could I be so self-centered? So weak?” At this, she stopped trying to prevent herself from tearing up and began to cry quietly. 

Ren slowly got up and walked over to Makoto, closing the distance between them until he was right in front of her. Wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug, Ren was relieved to not feel any resistance. Once it seemed like Makoto had calmed down enough, he pulled back, keeping his left hand rested on her right shoulder, and looked her in the eye. “It’s not your fault. I almost gave in as well.” He could see her grimace and gently took her left hand with his right.

“Even so, does that really make it okay? Considering how much more I made you struggle, inviting you to dinner...I can’t let that go.” She grabbed his hand and sighed, standing up. Ren stood with her, taking his hand off her shoulder, and she guided him back to the bed, where they sat back down. Makoto leaned against Ren, resting her head against his shoulder, and he leaned his head back on hers. “I think...I was more lonely than I was willing to admit. Father never spent much time at home. When he was there, he always had his mind on some case. And sis put all her time into her work. For both of our sakes. I respected them both so much, and I still do, but...I can’t just let them take care of me forever.”

Ren’s eyes slightly widened at the remark, and raised his eyebrow as he responded, “That’s your decision?”

Makoto smiled and nodded gently. “It’s what I think, at least. Though it’s a fairly new idea for me. If I hadn’t been in this situation, I’m not sure it would even have occurred to me.” She lifted her head up and looked at Ren, and his eyes met hers. “In any case, I’ve made my decision. I’m done being weak, or self-centered, or lonely, or being dependent on my family. If I have a problem, it's mine to fix, and no one else's. But my pain is still a part of me. My struggles, your support - that’s what helped me stand up for myself. I can’t lose that.” Makoto squeezed his hand, and Ren could see past their joint hands to see that she was fiddling with the edge of her skirt with her free hand, resting in her lap. She must have been keeping her mind busy as she spoke. Maybe even a little nervous. “I’m not exactly abandoning the person I was. But I figure trying to bottle it up will only make my life harder. I want to be able to at the most awful, disgraceful parts of myself, and still be able to say, ‘So what?’”

 _She’s incredible,_ he thought. And he totally believed it.

He moved to take her free hand with his own and smiled at her warmly. “That’s amazing, Mako-chan,” and he meant it. She had grown so much in the half a year he had known her, and he couldn’t be more proud of how far she’s come.

Makoto smiled at him and giggled a little bit to herself. “It’s a relief to know you’re supporting me, Renren. If I can get everyone to understand me, and really see who I am...then I think that’ll give me strength. If I’m ever tempted like this again, I’ll remember to stay true to myself, even if it's not a conscious decision. That’s why I wanted to apologize. I guess I’m not ready to stand on my own just yet, but...I’ll keep trying, and I won’t run away.”

After that, Makoto had yet another awakening, this time to Anges. Ren made an offhand comment that putting herself first would be the only way she would get stronger, and she didn’t seem to disagree at all. Ren thought he even heard her giggle at the comment.

They were there a while longer, sitting on Makoto’s bed with their shoulders touching and their heads resting on one another, talking about topics of less heavy subject matter. After Makoto’s awakening for Anges, he felt much lighter and less stressed. He couldn’t say for sure when he started feeling bogged down and like he was carrying an impossible weight, but he was positive he only felt it lift a few minutes ago. It wasn’t hard to figure out why it happened. Not that he cared about the why of it.

He was just glad to have Makoto back in reality.

**Author's Note:**

> Ace's twitter: https://twitter.com/ace4_2
> 
> My twitter: https://twitter.com/LancePuns
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it! I worked hard to make this piece at least decent, and I know Ace worked hard to make their art as amazing as it was! I hope you have a wonderful day and thank you for reading!


End file.
